Tuesday, February 22, 2011 John Lampkin

Theme: Action Food - The four theme entries begin with an adjective form of a verb(action word), a verb that is also a noun and in this case, that noun is a food. The first two are fruits and the second two are considered seeds.

20A. Arborist's handiwork: PRUNED TREE

26A. Windshield nuisance: SQUASHED BUGS

44A. Result of an errant brushback pitch: BEANED BATTER

55A. Deli sandwich filler: CORNED BEEF

Argyle here. The puzzle was a lot easier than trying to articulate what I think the theme is. At first, I looked on them as past tense verbs but then realized they are adjectives. John, did I get it right?

Scrabbley, too, just a V short of a pangram. I bet Dennis finished as fast as yesterday.

Across:

1. Raise, as produce : GROW

5. Go badly together : CLASH

10. Stylish : CHIC

14. Instant, in product names : REDI

15. Madre's milk : LECHE. Spanish

16. Bride's ride : LIMO. I know, GROOM wouldn't fit. Nice rhyme.

17. Busy, busy, busy : AT IT

18. Time __ time: repeatedly : AFTER. Oh, what will Lois do with these five entries?

19. "The Wizard __": comic strip : OF ID

22. All there : SANE

23. Development developments : HOMES. What should we call this type of clue?

24. Jazz guitarist Montgomery : WES. Here is his version of Eleanor Rigby(3:05). There is a good write-up about him that goes with the song, worth a read if you're interested.

25. Shocking swimmer : EEL

31. Average guys : JOES

34. H.S. elite : SRs. High school seniors.

35. Older woman's young lover, facetiously : BOY TOY

36. Place to make deposits, briefly : ATM

37. Bouquet delivery letters : FTD

38. Dream letters : REM

39. Novelist Fleming : IAN. Bond creator.

40. Alabama's only seaport : MOBILE

42. Monopoly token : CAR

43. Chip in a pot, maybe : ANTE

47. HDTV brand : RCA

48. Out of use, as words: Abbr. : OBS. Obsolete(same as obscure?)

49. Chip in a bowl : NACHO

53. World dodo population : ZERO

57. Blue book filler : EXAM

58. Dust Bowl refugees : OKIES

59. Pier gp. : ILWU. International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

60. Religious recess : APSE

61. Center : MIDST

62. Amber brews : ALES

63. Dieter's goal : LOSS

64. Care for : SEE TO

65. Branching point : NODE

Down:

1. Boardroom diagram : GRAPH

2. Fashionably dated : RETRO

3. Intense dislike : ODIUM. From Greek by way of Latin

4. One sitting on the stand : WITNESS

5. Attired : CLAD

6. How liberals lean : LEFTWARD. OBS., IMHO.

7. Helen Hunt or Holly Hunter, e.g. : ACTRESS. Both have honey hair. Helen and Holly.

8. "Jeez Louise!" : "SHEESH!"

9. Not there : HERE

10. Quite near : CLOSE BY

11. Pretentious, informally : HIFALUTIN'. Variant spelling of highfaluting, origin unknown.

12. Chip-tossing declaration : "I'M IN"

13. Programmers' writing : CODE

21. ABA member's title : ESQ. Esquire, HIFALUTIN' name for a lawyer.

25. Ancient kingdom near the Dead Sea : EDOM

27. You, in Yucatán : USTED. Spanish again.

28. Longtime "At the Movies" co-host Roger : EBERT

29. Capricorn's animal : GOAT

30. Holiday song closer : SYNE

31. Doorway side : JAMB

32. Siouan tribe : OTOE. A not so common clue for a common tribe of late.

33. Humiliate : EMBARRASS

37. Pet pest : FLEA

38. Disorderly place : RAT'S NEST

41. Salaries, wages, etc. : INCOMES

42. Hack's service : CAB RIDE

43. Graceful steed : ARABIAN

45. One taking bets : BOOKIE

46. Conclusion : END

50. Yo-Yo Ma's instrument : CELLO

51. Hacked : HEWED

52. Worth having : OF USE

53. Zest : ZEAL

54. Trade show : EXPO. Shout out to Jeannie

55. Dot-__: e-businesses : COMs

56. This, to Pablo : ESTO. More Spanish

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, February 21, 2011 Angela Olson Halsted and Doug Peterson

Theme: For Petes' Sake The first word of the three longest entries is the last name of three persons having the same first name which is revealed in the last Across word.

17A. Legendary spring that creates spring chickens?: FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. Pete Fountain is a famous clarinetist. He was once fired by Lawrence Welk for "jazzing up" a Christmas number on the show.

38A. Grammy revoked from Milli Vanilli: BEST NEW ARTIST. Pete Best is best known as the original drummer in The Beatles.

60A. Portland Trail Blazers' home: ROSE GARDEN ARENA. Pete Rose, nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager.

71A. Name that can precede the first word of 17-, 38- or 60-Across: PETE

Argyle here, older but no wiser. And what's with hitting me with 1A. Grew older: AGED first thing? Seriously though, thank you for all the birthday greetings.

Across:

5. American __: Pacific territory : SAMOA

10. Employee protection org. : OSHA. Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

14. Chore list heading : TO DO

15. Old Geo model : PRIZM. The Geo/Chevrolet Prizm (Chevrolet Prizm starting 1998) was a US market entry-level compact car from 1989 through 2002. All were made at New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI), an automobile manufacturing plant in Fremont, CA, a joint venture plant between Toyota and General Motors. The plant is now owned by Tesla Motors, the electric vehicle people.

16. Carrot or turnip : ROOT. Vegetable.

20. Garment border : HEM

21. "I'll treat!" : "ON ME!"

22. Three, in Turin : TRE. Italian(Remember, it could have been clued, in Torino, Italian for Turin.)

23. College concentration : MAJOR. Less concentration, 7D. 23-Across opposite : MINOR.

26. Pungent salad green : CRESS

27. Mighty long time : EON

28. Stat for Mariano Rivera : ERA. Yankee pitcher, career ERA 2.23(Earned Run Average).

29. CEO's degree : MBA

31. Ford classics : T-BIRDS. Thunderbirds are called T-birds so much, I guess indicating a shortened version of the name isn't necessary.

33. Carvey of "Wayne's World" : DANA. Originally a SNL sketch, it became a movie.

35. Karaoke singer, usually : AMATEUR

42. Polite "Ready to go?" : "SHALL WE?"

43. Linger in the tub : SOAK

45. Start to melt : SOFTEN. That is REALLY staying in the tub too long.

48. Bordeaux brush-off : NON. In France.

50. Paranormal showman Geller : URI

51. "Fresh Air" airer : NPR. National Public Radio.

52. Rear end : FANNY

55. Political aficionado's station : C-SPAN

57. Absorbed, as a cost : ATE

58. Circular cookie : OREO

59. Stable tidbit : OAT

66. Good fortune : LUCK

67. Cursor controller : MOUSE

68. Diabolical : EVIL

69. Fawn's father : STAG

70. Campfire remains : ASHES

Down:

1. DOJ division : ATF. Department of Justice / Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (and Explosives).

2. Bit of baby babble : GOO

3. Academic URL ender : EDU

4. Hawaiian who sang "Pearly Shells" : DON HO. But more famous for "Tiny Bubbles".

5. Inbox junk : SPAM

6. Magnate Onassis : ARI

8. Atmospheric layer : OZONE

9. Car sound system : AM/FM STEREO

10. El Dorado gold : ORO. Now some Spanish.

11. Justice replaced by Sotomayor : SOUTER. David H. Souter, replaced by Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court.

12. Souped-up ride : HOT ROD

13. Aegean capital : ATHENS. A capital city on the Aegean Sea.

18. Time in office : TERM

19. "I agree, however ..." : "YES, BUT..."

23. __ school : MED. Another case of accepted use of the shortened form(of medical) as a word on its own.

24. Part of U.A.E. : ARAB. United Arab Emirates, usually abbreviated just UAE.

25. Dick's storybook partner : JANE

26. Caravan creature : CAMEL

30. Girl group with the 1986 #1 hit "Venus" : BANANARAMA. Live(3:04) You are welcome to skip this but it is great kitsch.

32. Spring blossom : IRIS

34. Admin. aide : ASST.

36. Pointy tool : AWL

37. Like a lion's coat : TAWNY. Wait for it.

39. It "comes on little cat feet," in a Sandburg poem : THE FOG.

FOG

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Carl Sandburg

I always wonder if this had been written by a first year English major, what grade would it have received?

40. Campbell's product : SOUP

41. Fictional plantation : TARA. From "Gone With the Wind".

44. Reunion group : KIN. Family, not class.

45. Entangles : SNARLS

46. Decline to participate : OPT OUT

47. Grapefruit-flavored diet drink : FRESCA

49. Academic sports org. : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.

53. Detective Wolfe and an emperor : NEROs

54. "Obviously!" : "NO DUH!"

56. Throat bacteria : STREP

59. Tip jar bills : ONES

61. Heart test letters : EKG. Electrocardiogram.

62. Suffix with Canton : ESE

63. Anticipatory time : EVE

64. Trivial point : NIT

65. Drink by a dartboard : ALE

Answer grid.

Argyle